Miami Mom Charged After Son Found Wandering Street

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A Miami mother was arrested and charged after her young son was found alone wandering along West Flagler Street.

The child’s father is refusing to speak about the situation. He declined to answer questions as he and the child were escorted by Miami Police detectives to the offices of the Department of Children and Families.

He also did not want to say anything when CBS4’s Peter D’Oench tried to speak with him as left DCF without his son. He uttered one word in Spanish: “hola” for hello.

A passerby spotted the three year old boy crossing four lanes of traffic on West Flagler Street at NW 32nd Place around 4:15 a.m. and called police.

“I’m very shocked to see a child unattended in the street. You know,” said a neighbor who only wanted to be identified as “Carlos”.

Arriving officers found the boy and immediately began to fan out across the neighborhood looking for his family.

“We started knocking at neighbors’ doors. We attempted to locate the parents and where this child lived, until we found this child’s home and as we are there talking to neighbors, mom arrived surprised to see police,” said police spokesman Det. Willie Moreno.

The boy and his mother, identified as 24-year old Janisleidys Herbello, live in an apartment about one block from where the boy was found.

“I just dropped my wife from work when I came here I saw the police already and one of the officers was carrying the child, and he was alone in the street, by that time,” said David Obregon.

Herbello reportedly told police detectives that when she left the apartment around 1 a.m. her son was sound asleep.

“She did admit she left this child home alone sleeping and didn’t see any concerns because he was sleeping to go out to a friends house to party, drink, and have drugs,” said Moreno.

Police and neighbors are just glad the boy is okay.

“It is very important that people recognize the safety problem with leaving kids alone this child could’ve been struck by a vehicle or abducted by a total stranger,” said Moreno.

Herbello has been charged with one count of child neglect.

She is being heldon $5,000 bond and could come before a judge in bond court in the morning. There also could be a hearing on temporary custody for the child as well on Thursday.

A check of records found that no criminal charges have been filed before against the mother. DCF also said the agency did not have a history of problems with the family.